There have come to light attempts to manipulate card-processing apparatuses of automated teller machines in which a credit card is caught by means of a catching device placed in front of the card slot of the card-processing apparatus, so that it can neither be drawn in nor conveyed back to the card slot by the conveying device of the card-processing apparatus. At a later point in time, the catching device together with the caught credit card is removed from the card-processing apparatus, whereby the credit card gets into the hands of unauthorized individuals.
Methods and devices have been proposed which comprise a technique for destroying stored information if a card is deliberately pulled out of a magnetic card reader. In the case of the proposed method, unusual stopping of a magnetic card and movement of the card after stopping are sensed and a magnetic information-destroying device is activated in dependence on the movement.
Such a method is suitable only for magnetic cards; this method cannot be used at least for erasing chip cards with contacts, since their contacts cannot come into connection with those of the card-processing apparatus if the chip card is stopped prematurely. Furthermore, after erasure, the rightful owner of the card must be issued with a new card, which leads to time delays and additional costs.
The object of the invention is therefore to propose a card-processing apparatus with a device for protecting credit cards from misuse which is suitable for all types of card.